Airplane safety device



O OO

P. D. BALZANO AIRPLANE SAFETY DEVICE Qf X July 129 1949.

Filed May 22, 1945 @44m E ,5a/zama P. D. BALZANO AIRPLANE SAFETY DEVICE.

July 12, `1949.

Filed May 22, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ....Lwlllll -Lm A 2.727. @ad/zafra Patented July 12, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT GFFICE AIRPLAN E SAFETY DEVICE Peter D. Balzano, Cleveland, Ohio Application May 22, 1945, Serial No. 595,200

The present invention relates to new and useful improvements in safety devices for airplanes, and more particularly to a safety chamber adapted to be carried in the airplane land in which a passenger of the airplane may enter in case of a crash landing and embodying means to protect the passenger from injury.

While an aviator is frequently able to bring his plane down safely should the engine stall, emergencies frequently occur in which he is unable to do so, and in which there is no time for the pilot or passenger to use parachutes. The pilot and his passenger in such cases necessarily fall with the plane and which frequently results in serious injury or death.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide means for adequately protecting the passenger, or pilot, or both, against injury during the crashing of the airplane.

An important object of the present invention is to provide a cushioned chamber or booth adapted to be carried in the airplane and in which the passenger or pilot may enter and designed to cushion the blow of impact of the airplane to which the passenger or pilot would be normally subjected.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of this character of simple and practical construction, which is strong and durable, efficient and reliable in use, relatively inexpensive to manufacture and otherwise well adapted for the purposes for which the same is intended.

Other objects and advantages reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view.

Figure 2 is a side elevational View.

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a top plan view.

Figure 5 is a transverse sectional View taken substantially on a line 5-5 of Figure 2.

Figure 6 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken substantially on aline 6--5 of Figure 1.

Figure '7 is an enlarged detail of one of the tubular bumpers forming part of the invention.

Figure 8 is an end elevational view thereof.

Figure 9 is a side elevational View of one of the spring bumpers.

Figure 10 is an end elevational view thereof.

Figure 11 is a View in elevation of the inside of the door for the compartment.

5 Claims. (Cl. 244-121) Figure 12 is a sectional view taken substann tially on a line |2-l2 of Figure 11.

Figure 13 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of one of the corner braces for the compartment.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, wherein for the purpose of illustration I have disclosed a preferred embodiment of the invention, the numeral 5 designates the chamber generally and which comprises a box-like conn tainer preferably formed of strong wooden planks 6 connected at their corners by inner and outer corner braces 'l and 8 secured to each other by means of bolts or the like 9, the braces being of rigid metal construction.

The top and bottom edges of the chamber are also provided with metal braces I0.

The front of the chamber is provided with upper and lower planks Il and I2 connected to the sides of the chamber by means of metal braces I3, the upper and lower planks defining an opening I4 in the front of the chamber adapted to be closed by a door I5 hinged, as at i6, at its upper edge to the upper plank I l, as shown to advantage in Figure 1 of the drawings.

The upper and lower edges of the door are rabbeted in the adjacent edges of the planks II and I2, as shown at Il in Figure 3 of the drawings, and the lower edge of the door is secured in closed position by a conventional form of catch device I8 operable from the outside of the chamber.

The side edges of the door I5 are also provided with angle braces I9 which extend inwardly along the opposite side of the chamber, the braces I9 being secured to the door at the front thereof and free of the sides of the chamber to permit opening and closing swinging movement of the door. An inner -chamber or container 20 is placed in the chamber 5 in spaced relation from the walls of the latter, the chamber 2li being preferably constructed of rigid metal.

The inner chamber 20 is yieldably maintained in spaced relation from the adjacent walls of the outer container 5 by means of coil springs 2l secured to the plank 6 by means of staples 22, to thus provide a chamber 34 between the walls of the chamber 2U and the outer container 5. Reinforcing planks 23 are also positioned in the top and bottom of the chamber 5 to reinforce the top and bottom thereof.

Tubular rubber bumpers 25 are also placed between thewalls of the chambers 5 and 2E) and are likewise secured to the planks 6 by elongated staples 26.

The front Wall of the inner chamber 20 is provided with an opening 21 registering with the opening I4, the opening 21 being closed by upper and lower doors 28 and 29 hinged respectively to the upper door edges of the opening by hinges 30 and 3|. The free edges of the doors 28 and 29 are secured in closed position by a conventional form of catch 32.

One or more of the coil springs 2I are also positioned betweenY the doors I and 28 and 29.

Thedoors E28. and l29 'are provided with sealing strips 'or' 'gaskets 33 at the edges" thereof and a water-tight spacing strip 33a, is positioned between the walls of the outer container 5 and inner chamber around the doors to also -provide a water chamber 34a between the doors.

Accordingly, when the doors I5 `rand-28 and-29 are secured in their closedj-positionv,-` an vair and liquid-tight chamber 34 is formed between the chambers 5 and 28, and if desired, thel doorV I5 may also be provided with suitable sealing gaskets.

Thex top-:land 4ulaper 'portions' of the'side walls of the inner chamber20 are linedwith azsuitable lpaddingff35 and al-substantially vrectangularshapedbox 36-isplaced :in. the chamber '20 on` the bottom thereof and provided with a hinged-lid 31. i lPositioned-in the boX"36- is arubber watertank Vfil-8* having ag'pair of tubes vSgext'ending upwardly l therefrom` through the chamber v 34 tol the upper portion ofjthef|chamber"34a-between the doors for supplying watery thereto.

Accordingly,` whenV aqperson'seals himself in the inner chamber-20 landbyiopeningthe lid 31 and pressing -on\ the rubber tank 38, water kwill be forced `upwardly through the tubefSS for partly filling the chamber Mayte;thus--providefurther- Vcushioning means betweenthedoors. The water admitted to the chamber will compress the captive air and can-flow inany directionaround the inner 'boxin caseof fanimpactfof the outer box with the ground.

Inorder to admitair 4frz-nii?the atmosphere into the inner chamberfZU; a rubber itubeillll extends through the vwallsrof the-chambers 5 and 20, the

innerfand outerends ofj the tube being secured in position by innerand outer` hollow caps -4I and ller'openingllll having a'plug' A45 and water may be drained by means of an opening 46 also provided with afplugfl.

In the .operation of" the device,` the chamber 5 is AplacedV in an airplane (not shown) and secured therein ink any suitable' manner Vand when vthere is 'dangerl of acrash landing, apassen'ger or pilot 'enters the ch'amb'eriZU and Sals the door '28 and "29,""the` outerv door I5 automatically closing kby gravityand sealing itself by the catchl I8.

` 'Wateris 'then'purriped` into -the'chamber between the inner and outerdoors from the tank v`88 and thebccupant of the c'hainberVZiIJ is thus 'protected frominjury upon the crashing of the airplane.

l It is lbelieved'the details'ofconstruction, manner-cfuse'andyadvantagesof thedevice will be jreadilyjunderstoodv from the foregoingf without I l f urther detailed eipylanation While I have illustrated and described af'preferred embodimentiof' 'the inventionj it will be I lapparent that minor` changes Ain construction may *be* resorted vtoi fith'out-I f departing'l fromthe'spirit /ioning means between'thewallsof the inner and outer chambers, and means carried by said inner chamber for supplying liquid between the walls of said chambers.

l 2. A safety device for airplanes comprising inner-and outer chambers movable relative to I -oneanother vadapted to be carried in the airplane, doors in said chambers adapted to admit an occupant thereto,` said inner chamber being spaced from the wallsfof the outer chamber, cush- '7 -ioning meansbetweeny the walls'of the inner and .outer chambers', a rubber water tank in said inner v ychamber, and a tube extending from said tank betweenthe walls of the innerA and outer chambers, said:tank being adapted to supply water between the inner` and outer chambers by the manual application of-pressure to said tank.

3. A safety-device for airplanes comprising rigidinner and outerchambers movable relative means betweenY the walls of said chambers, and a cushioned rlining within saidinnerchamber.

4. A safety device for airplane occupants and I adapted 'tov be carried in an airplane, said device comprising a rigidy outer chamber, a rigid inner 'chamber of smaller dimensions than and positionedfin'the 'outer' chamber, yeldable means completely 4.spacing theinner from the outer chamber,"cushioningy meanson inner surfaces of 'the lnside chamber, and doorand closure means associated withboth chambers whereby an air- `planeoc'cupant mayenter and cl-ose himself inside vadapted to becarried in an airplane, said device comprising a rigid outer chamber, a rigid inner 'chamber of smaller dimensions than and posiltio'ned 'in the'outer chamber, yeldable means "completelyispacing 'the `inner from the outer chamber, a door associated with both chambers whereby'an' airplaneoc'cupant may enter the inner chamber, 'means oneach of said doors for sealing "the'clos'edi chamb`ers,and air inlet means for the i inner'chamber.

file of this patent: l

UNITED "STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 83,731 f'Ro'bbins Nov. 3, 1868 1,027,764 fRilleau May 28, 1912 1,349,526 'lNidb'ala Aug. 10, 1920 1,820,958 .Zifrikowetsky Sept. 1, 1931 2,240,747 Babb et al.V May 6, 1941 .2,276,700 "Provenzano- '-`Mar. 17,-1942 `v`2,323,455 Creech July 6,'1943 

